The Formula (1980)

The film opens in the final days of World War II as Soviet forces close in on the outskirts of Berlin. Panzer Korps General Helmut Kladen is dispatched to the Swiss frontier with top secret documents to be used as a bargaining chip with the Allies to save Germany from the Soviets. He is subsequently intercepted by the U.S. Army and turned over to Army Intelligence.

In contemporary Los Angeles, Lt. Barney Caine is assigned to solve the murder of his former boss and friend Tom Neeley, which presumably occurred during a drug deal gone wrong. However, Neeley has written “Gene” on a newspaper in his own blood, and Caine finds a map of Germany with the name “Obermann” on it. Caine is surprised to learn that Neeley provided drugs at parties hosted by the tycoon Adam Steiffel (Marlon Brando). When he interviews Neeley’s ex-wife, he quickly catches her in several lies, and when he returns to interview her a second time, he finds her shot dead in her hot tub.